To the 16th Power
by Baseo
Summary: Something's wrong here, and Kaname can't place it. Something's wrong, and the help knows. Something's wrong, but Yuuki doesn't know. And Zero definitely doesn't either. There was one who almost knew, but now he's gone. Warnings inside.


_**This is a warning! Warning!**_

_**There's some scary things in here. I'm not sure if I should say it's enough to trigger someone, but better safe than sorry. **_

_**-Triggering(?)**_

_**-Mania**_

_**-Frightening stuff.**_

_**Be please careful.**_**  
**

* * *

(0.5; one step up, is always down.)

* * *

[4th division; hour of the rat.]

* * *

**Static**. That's all it was. Everywhere. It was consuming; he wanted out.

The perfect way to describe a feeling of numbness. A strange pain.

** Static**.

Falling asleep was the numbness; static was returning to half-lucidity. By the time the feeling clears, you only remember a faint impression. A fleeting memory, like morning fog.

* * *

Kaname's head snapped sharply to the right. The intruding occupant had a passing thought of whiplash.

His eyes were exotic ocean blue; clean seawater.

But all Kaname was seeing was flashes.

Cold hard ice;

Angry, ravaging flames.

There was a blockage beginning somewhere in his mind; _**numbness**_.

The intruders eyes locked with Kaname's for that brief moment.

A strange empty look.

_The lights are on, but no one's home._

A murmured, 'Excuse me, Kaname-sama.'

But there was no one with that name present.

There was a bark of laughter from the manor's owner. Then it quieted, a low sound. It could have been white noise, had the house not been so silent. It was dead hour for the vampire.

Kaname became silent. His eyes placed themselves on the desk, suddenly finding wood grain an interesting texture.

He rose slowly; tracing a line across the hard surface. The other digits joined; he turned to face the door.

The intruder stood erect, watching carefully. The air was becoming oppressive, crushing down with a force upon his lungs. Fight or flight mode; somehow, neither were looking to be an option.

Kaname locked eyes with him again. He smiled, almost a carefree kind of look.

But blank eyes won't ever tell.

He stepped towards the intruder, swaying, and, then took another step. A haphazard movement.

It was like he was in trance. Once Kaname had reached him, he proceeded to thread his fingers through that hair. It was a firm grip. He pulled slightly, and the intruder had to strain to keep eye contact.

Kaname was leering over him, and he thought his eyes were ready to dislocate themselves. Then the smile started to falter, turning into a bitter frown.

"_What?_"

The intruder knew there was nothing now.

His mind was screaming bloody murder, and his legs were telling him, '_Run!_'.

That voice was nothing. No emotion, no inflection, no calmness.

**Transparent.**

He decided that an explanation was as far as he was going to get.

"I just came to inform you that I'm leaving early. Ta-" It was a rushed whisper.

Kaname yanked the strands harshly. The door closed itself with a resounding bang, and the intruder was being dragged backwards by his scalp.

The cry was stuck all the way in his throat, and only a silent scream escaped. He clawed and grabbed at Kaname's hand, trying to find purchase, while his body was half-sliding along the ground.

His right cheek felt like it had exploded. At the worst it had probably only shattered. The intruder found himself admiring that same wood-grain.

Four long scratches marred the top.

He found the urge to spit unbearable. He couldn't even do so. It came out with a spluttering sound at his attempt, and he found that his assumption of the latter was probably true.

His head slid off of the desk, his body failing to keep support. He was in too much shock. He crumpled along the bottom.

Kaname had crossed the room to the bookshelf by now, that dark oppressiveness twisting at odd angles, and bending out of shape.

He muttered something incoherent, and heaved a large tome out with one arm.

He trudged with it, back to the body. Kaname's form slid down, kneeling over the intruder.

The intruder flicked his eyes to meet that gaze.

Blank,

blank,

blank.

He was struggling to lift himself up, panicked, mind reeling.

**But the aura, and the gaze, and his cheek, and something was off, and he needed to move, and Kaname was making no sense, and why did he have a volume of the-**

"You've caused enough trouble. I don't know why you insist on coming back each time, but I know that you've done enough damage. Enough pain."

He didn't know what Kaname was whispering, it made no sense. He tensed silently, gripping the carpet.

"Don't come back."

A blow.

"_DON'T_ come back."

Another.

"_DON'T EVER COME BACK._"

Silence.

The seventh volume of Woordenboek der Nederlandsche Taal slipped from his hands. Kaname's chest heaved, a sense of relief washing over him.

That hand that was holding on for dear life had long since lost it's grip.

* * *

Two pairs of rushed footsteps resounded through the hall. Takuma had heard the noises from downstairs. It was only when he heard the shouts and bangs that he had come running down the corridors at full speed. He briefly wondered where all the hired help had wandered off to.

A middle-aged level C woman came rushing after Takuma when she had caught on to where he was heading.

"Ichijou-sama! Please! _Do not..!_"

Takuma slowed, but not for the relief of the maid. She panted heavily; she really wasn't meant to be chasing after the master's guests.

Blood. That was what caught both their noses. Takuma panicked more; the level C for another reason entirely.

"Ichijou...sama..!"

He had taken off in the direction of the study, and the woman could only fear for herself at this point, and the rest of the staff whom were clinging to the darkest corners of the manor.

Takuma half knocked, twisting the knob of the door as he did so.

For that moment, the blond noble's heart stopped.

It was bad.

So bad.

The stench was heavy and clogging his senses, but none of that mattered when his eyes were set upon the scene.

Blood. It was a bloody mess.

Kaname looked at the tome, brushing his hand absently against it. The top smeared with a dark stain.

He turned his head to the entrance.

He was feeling the static.

"Ichijou..."

Takuma's mouth opened partially, then clamped shut quickly. A salty stream was making it's way down his cheeks, and his bottom lip trembled.

"What's wrong? Ichijou?"

Blank eyes flickered with concern for a moment. Kaname glanced around, unconsciously not looking at the mess he had created.

He came up to a standing position, his eyes settling on the scratches marking the desk.

"Tsk..where did this come from..?" His fingers brushed over them.

Takuma was reeling. Which way was up? How do you get down? Why..

Why..

Why.

"How could you.." Takuma didn't even know the sound of his own voice anymore.

"Why..how...KANAME HOW COULD-"

His body convulsed, then slumped to the carpet.

A younger level C flicked her wrist from behind Takuma's body.

"You shouldn't have let him come this far. We can't have more tragedy stinking up this place, Miho-san." She spoke softly, replacing the taser in her apron pocket. She patted it absently.

"I know, Yurie. But I refuse to become the next one with him. I fear too much, and he was foolish.."

"Doesn't matter. Move Ichijou-sama's body to one of the rooms. I'll have Kuran-sama cleaned up.."

The middle-aged one had a set frown on her face as she tsk'd. "Fine. What about.." She grimaced at the sight and quickly avoided gazing longer. "That."

"I'll have the twins take care of that."

She released the pressure from the joints in her neck.

She spit out a 'Go.' to the elder, and went to collect the master.

"Come, Kuran-sama. You've been awake too long. It's time to rest.."

Kaname mentioned something along the lines of that not being her place, but didn't refuse being ushered out of the room.

Miho went about dragging Takuma's form by his armpits. She sighed; she was getting too old for this kind of thing.

* * *

[6th division; the rooster.]

* * *

Kaname dreamed of everything and nothing. He imagined he was as transparent as the sky.

Before he came back to the realm of the living, he felt a breeze.

It was summer in a world of consciousness, and it would have been sweet relief. But in that limbo state, it was nothing but pure hell.

Something there laughed at him, quietly. It was taunting.

_You don't even know.._

Usually, the prince would have ignored this trivial cold, but he couldn't.

He shivered.

"Where.."

That thing laughed, it was grating.

_**Arbuda..**_

It whispered.

* * *

He had finally dragged himself out of the shelter of his blankets. It was 7:34 in the evening, and although Japan's summers were brutal (even for him), he was colder than an ice cube.

It was humid and stifling, but here he was, standing, stark naked, with a heavy duvet draped over his form. It wasn't too bad, he supposed. The cold anyway.

It felt like a breeze blowing across him. The only annoying thing here is that no matter what he covered himself with, it never seemed to lessen.

_Wonderful._

Miho came to check with him at 7:45.

Her hands were clasped tightly around the front of her uniform; tugging. She tried to keep her face neutral, but she couldn't help but grimace when her master glanced at her when she entered.

Kaname was pulling on a long navy cotton shirt, his bottoms the same material.

Somewhere in the maid's mind, she thought something about how could he even stand having those sweats on in this heat; not to mention his choice in a top.

She informed him that breakfast was prepared, whenever he was ready. He gave a noncommittal agreement, and dismissed her.

Kaname stood in front of the mirror for a moment, after having picked at his appearance.

He wasn't really looking at the reflection anymore, but whether or not he should wear socks. Open-toed slippers around the home were going to create more of a problem in his situation.

Socks with slippers it was.

He walked in a sloth-like manner to the dining room. He swore that something was wrong with him, and he knew he should be keeping to being the example for others, but it was _so_ hard.

When he entered, Takuma was sitting quietly at the table.

What would usually be smiles and greetings at this ungodly hour in a vampire's day (which led Kaname to question why he even got up), was instead, a cold and reserved atmosphere.

"Good morning, Takuma.."

The mentioned flicked his gaze up, almost reluctantly to Kaname's eyes.

"Oh."

Oh? He wondered what was wrong with him this morning. It must have been bad..

The brunet seated himself, and without a moment's hesitation, the morning meal was served.

Kaname noted that Takuma had refused most of the food altogether. When the blond noticed that Kaname was eyeing him, he conceded to fruit.

Kaname picked up a piece of fried egg yolk and chewed it thoughtfully.

It was silent for the next few moments until;

"Where's Senri?"

Kaname looked at Takuma questioningly.

He flinched, and didn't answer for a long moment.

When Kaname continued to stare, he gave up with trying to fix his tea.

"He left last night."

Left last night? Why hadn't he told Kaname? Strange.

It was Kaname's turn to reply with a simple 'Oh.'.

Usually Kaname would feel the need to delve further and question everything, but suddenly, even just this simple answer was satisfactory.

There was definitely something wrong with him.

Maybe he was sick.

Kaname tried again; small talk. He wondered why he bothered with such useless things.

_Definitely sick, then._

"I wonder why he didn't say anything. I thought we were on good terms!"

Kaname laughed (or what he considered one).

Takuma couldn't stand it. His tea sloshed precariously when he stood up, chair screeching backwards. He muttered a 'Sorry' and excused himself, not once looking back at Kaname.

* * *

Takuma left around nine.

* * *

_**Annnnd, welcome to my fucked up mind! Just..kidding?**_

**_Kaname is not feeling well at all.._**

**_(Edited 8/08/2013)_**


End file.
